Boston Mayor Michelle Wu isn’t holding back when it comes to the Trump administration’s threats against cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration crackdowns. At a press conference on Tuesday, Wu made it clear she has no plans to comply.
“Here is our response: Stop attacking our cities to hide your administration’s failures,” Wu said. “Unlike the Trump administration, Boston follows the law, and Boston will not back down from who we are and what we stand for.”
The comments came after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi sent letters to 32 mayors, including Wu, warning so-called “sanctuary cities” they had one week to fall in line or face Department of Justice action. Bondi’s letter bluntly declared: “This ends now.”
In her written response, Wu described Boston as a “beacon of freedom, and a home for everyone.” She argued that the Trump administration is engaging in “false and continuous attacks on American cities” designed to divide people.
“These attacks all come back to a common aim: the Trump administration seeks to divide, isolate, and intimidate our cities, and make Americans fearful of one another,” Wu wrote.
She pointed to Boston’s long record of community policing and cooperation with law enforcement, calling the city “the safest major city in America.” Wu also cited the Constitution, saying local governments have the right to oversee public safety without “unlawful interference from the federal government.”
At the press conference, Wu didn’t hold back on Trump himself, accusing him of leaving cities to clean up after his broken promises. According to Boston.gov, she said, “The cities that live in your minds are totally foreign to the residents living in our cities, and we are picking up the pieces of your failures to deliver on your promises.
She also took a jab at Trump’s refusal to release more information about the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein: “Under the Trump administration, groceries are less affordable, housing is harder to build, cures for cancer are farther away, and good news on our economy has been as hard to find as the Epstein list.”
Boston isn’t the only city pushing back. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee told NewsNation that Trump is “fearmongering” about her city, even though crime there has dropped nearly 30 percent compared to last year.
“He’s fearmongering and trying to distract from his difficulties he’s having,” Lee said. “Militarizing a city is unconstitutional.” She was referring to Trump’s use of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., and his comments about possibly sending them to Oakland next.
Wu ended her letter by reaffirming that Boston will stand with other cities under fire from the administration: “Boston will never back down from being a beacon of freedom, and a home for everyone.”
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